Forgiven
by flyingpanda4
Summary: Cliche, I know...  Team 7 is sent on a strange mission to somewhere called 'Hogwarts', but they aren't the tightly-knit friends they used to be. Can they put their differences aside to help the students of Hogwarts?
1. Prologue

Hello all :) I hope you like this story, it's my first so please be nice (constructive criticism is appreciated). I've written up to about the second chapter, but I want to see how people react. Enjoy!

Prologue

"Are you sure about this?" asked an older woman with a worried expression on her face. She had only heard rumours that these people really existed and now, one stood directly in front of her. How could someone so far away know about the return He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?

"I'm sure, Minerva. I have great trust in him and he wouldn't come up with this as a joke." a younger looking women replied. Though they didn't look it, they were actually rather close in age.

"I'm worried about how the students will react..."

"They'll fit in, they can handle themselves." said the younger with a smirk.

"I meant my students as well." the other said, her mouth returning to it's regular tout line.

"Hmm... They might be a little shocked." the younger woman replied after some thought. She chuckled a little.

"I would be too, if I had found out about people like us." she continued. There were a couple moments of silence before the older woman spoke.

"I'll speak to the Ministry about having a portkey made... How many of your... students do you expect to be coming?"

"Well, I have a couple in mind, but only a few of them are the appropriate age to fit into the student body..." she answered.

"That would be the most appropriate."

"Hm. In that case, three." she responded. The older women eyes widened the slightest.

"Only three?"

"Any of my other options are either too old and obvious, or aren't yet ready to be away for so long." Her eyes seemed a little distant for a moment, while she was trying not to remember the horrible war of only half a year before. The older woman noticed this and immediately became apologetic.

"Oh, yes, right." She remembered what the woman had told her, that in their world they had faced a horrible threat and she had come to her. It wasn't because she needed their help to fight this threat, no, it was because one the younger womans 'students' had felt a great evil rising and becoming stronger, but not in their world. She came out of her reverie and looked back at the younger woman. "Will... 'he' be coming?" she asked. She didn't need to specify, the younger woman knew who she was asking about.

"Yes, him and his two team mates...They may not seem like much, but don't worry, they're strong." she responded with a chuckle. 'Some of the strongest I've ever seen.' The older woman stood and walked from her desk to stand in front of the younger one.

"The Portkey should be arriving in two weeks time, if not, I will alert you by the special hawk you have given us."

"Alright. I'll have my students ready." She also stood from her chair and shook the older woman's hand.

"I hope he's wrong about this, but if he's not, you'll be glad I sent them to you." The older woman released her hand.

"I hope he is wrong as well. I thank you for you're help, Tsunade."

"We will meet again at the end of the year, when all of this has hopefully ended. I'll come and bring my students home... I thank you also, Minerva. A word of warning: Don't underestimate them." The older woman was slightly confused by this statement but quickly brushed it off. She nodded her head to the older woman and in a puff of smoke, she disappeared.

"Until we meet again..."


	2. Chapter 1

Here's chapter one, I'm sorry if some of the characters are OOC. Just a warning, I won't be able to update very often :( SORRY! I just don't have much spare time! And I tend to forget... Reviews pleeeease, I really want to know what you think of this! Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 1: Departure

It was a beautiful day in Konoha and Naruto wanted to enjoy it. He stepped out on to the balcony of his apartment before jumping to the roof. He surveyed his surroundings, the village had almost finished repairs after the war and everything was looking up. Unfortunatly, Naruto had something else on his mind. He could feel something was wrong, but everything couldn't have been going better. Almost all of the shinobi who had been injured had recovered and those who had lost loved ones had finished grieving. But something wasn't right. He had first sensed it when he was doing a quick look around outside the village a month ago and had been using the nine tails chakra to quicken his search. It had been a feeling of great evil, but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.

_(flashback)_

_Naruto knocked on the Hokage's office door._

_"Tsunade-sama."_

_"Come in." a voice called from inside. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He took off his ANBU mask and turned to face the pigtailed kunoichi._

_"Naruto." She smiled at the blonde, remembering the old brat he used to be. Her smile disappeared as soon as she saw his worried expression._

_"What can I do for you?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice._

_"I've got a bad feeling." he replied bluntly. Tsunade, knowing of Naruto's capabilities, instantly became serious._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I can't tell where it's coming from and it's rather vague, but there's definitely something there... Someone is planning something evil." The shock could easily be seen on Tsunade's face. Naruto watched her as she began to mumble to herself. He could make out the words 'Albus' and 'meeting', everything else was a jumble of nonsense. None of it concerned him, so he quit listening so intently. Tsunade didn't look up as she answered him._

_"A-alright, thank you for telling me this Naruto." She was obviously deep in thought, so Naruto decided it would be a good time to leave. He put his ANBU mask back on and turned to the door._

_"That's all, Tsunade."_

_'Hm' was the only response he got as he left the Hokage's office._

'Why did Tsunade space out like that?' Naruto thought to himself. He was completely lost in thought when someone approached him from behind.

"What'chya thinking about, dobe?"

"Oh nothin', teme." He turned to his raven-haired friend. Sasuke had only come back to the village after the war and the Hokage had made sure that he was under very tight ropes. He wasn't allowed to leave the village and most people tended to stay away from him, they were highly skeptical of the last Uchiha. It seems the only person he could trust was his loud-mouthed blonde friend.

"Anyway," Sasuke continued. " Tsunade-sama's called for us, we've got a mission." Naruto hadn't missed that he said 'we' and instantly his expression brightened.

"So she's finally letting you do something." Naruto smiled, then stood up and headed for the Hokage's tower, Sasuke right behind him. When they entered her office, they found Sakura waiting with Tsunade and Shizune standing behind her. Sakura scowled when she saw Sasuke, then turned to Tsunade.

"Why's he here?" The bitterness was obvious in her voice as she pointed at Sasuke. Tsunade sighed, then faced Team 7.

"I know this is a bit of short notice, but the three of you will be going on a special, year long mission at a remote location. I'll give you more information before you leave. You'll be leaving in two days time at noon, so I suggest you start packing." 'A year long mission?' Sakura was surprised. 'I've never heard of one so long...' The shock was obvious on all three of the shinobis faces, though Sasuke's quickly disappeared and was replaced by his usual emotionless expression. He had only been in the village for six months and now he was being sent on the longest mission he had ever heard of.

"Hn." In his peripheral vision he could see Sakura, who, a couple of years ago would've loved the idea of spending a year with him, now made it seem like a punishment. Out of all the people in Konoha, besides Naruto, he thought Sakura would have welcomed him back with open arms. But she had changed and now she wanted nothing to do with him. She glared at Sasuke before turning back to Tsunade. Naruto muttered something along the lines of 'That was informative' but still had a huge grin on his face.

"Alright." Sakura said.

"Meet me back here just before noon in two days and I'll give the final details." Tsunade said.

"Got it." Naruto said with enthusiasm. Sasuke gave a quick nod. Tsunade smiled back at Naruto then waved her hand.

"You're dismissed." As soon as Team 7 was gone, her smile faded. 'I just hope this goes well .' she thought to herself. 'They don't know what's coming.'

Sakura had packed as much as she thought necessary and would fit in her backpack. She stepped over to her bed side table and picked up her old picture of Team 7. 'Back when things were simple...' she thought to herself. A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye as she hastily set the picture back down. 'But those days are gone. Things change, people change.' With that, she wiped the tear away with the back of her hand and headed downstairs. She hugged her mother and said goodbye, then left for the Hokage's tower.

"All right. Now that you're all here, I'll give you the details. What ever I tell you from now on will be an S class secret." After saying this, the three shinobi were completely alert and ready to listen.

"You'll be going to a wizarding school, Hogwarts, acting as guards to protect the students but you'll be attending their classes under the pretense that you're exchange students." At this, Sakura and Sasuke remained silent while Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Wait... Did you say wizards?" he interjected.

"Yes. You'll be arriving a couple weeks early so you can buy school books and uniforms. The headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, will show you around and give any other details. Because you know almost nothing of their magic, in the few weeks before the start of term you'll also be learning everything you've missed. For security reasons, you'll have to come up with fake names. Got all that?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," all three replied. 'Great, more school.' Naruto thought, looking a smidge downcast. 'And I thought I was finished when I left the academy.' Meanwhile, Sakura was intrigued. 'Wizards... I thought they only existed in myths and legends... and now I'll be attending their school!' There was a glint of excitement in her eyes that only Tsunade saw. After watching their reactions, Tsunade looked to Naruto.

"Naruto, I'm putting you as captain of this mission. Keep a close eye on Sasuke and I want monthly reports." He smiled at this and pumped his fist.

"Hai! I'll make sure he doesn't step out of line." With that, he punched his old friend in the arm. Sakura rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour. She stopped to glare at Sasuke for a split second before looking back at the Hokage. The fifth pulled out an old teapot.

"This is how you'll be arriving." All three shinobi raised questioning eyebrows.

"It's a wizarding device called a portkey. It'll take you to Diagon Alley, where you'll be buying you're school supplies. The groundskeeper Hagrid will meet you there and help you find all the things you'll need."

"Hai." Naruto said.

"Naruto, you'll have to hand over your ANBU mask.." He took the fox mask that was sitting on the side of his head off and handed it to the Hokage.

" When you arrive, an official will be waiting with Hagrid and they'll place a spell on you. They speak a different language there, so the spell will give the ability to understand and speak to them." All three nodded.

"Uchiha, from now on you're an official Konoha ninja." Tsunade smiled and handed Sasuke a new Konoha headband, as he had left his behind when he deserted the village four years ago. He smirked in return and tied it around his head.

"Well, that's all I have to tell you. On the count of three, all of you will place your index finger on the portkey and you'll be transported to Diagon Alley. Ready?" They all nodded and skeptically took a step closer to the Hokage's desk. None of them were quite ready to leave their home for a full year and they were all a little nervous.

"One." Naruto gulped.

"Two." Sakura squeezed her eyes shut.

"Three!" They all reached out and touched the teapot. Tsunade sent a silent prayer to the heavens and watched as her students disappeared in a split second.

A/N: Yay! Cliffhanger :D ... If you're wondering why Tsunade didn't need a portkey and the others did, it's because the members of Team 7 (save for Naruto) don't know the transportation jutsu yet. Also, that jutsu is also very much like apparating and you can't apparate on Hogwarts school grounds (Tsunade got special permission from Dumbledore). That's my explanation.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Diagon Alley (A/N: I've taken actual dialogue from the book, I DO NOT OWN THIS)

_Speaking Japanese_

Speaking English

Safe to say, none of the three shinobi were able to make a graceful landing. Naruto had actually landed on his head, Sasuke only doing slightly better by landing on his face. Sakura had been able to regain some of her balance, but only enough to awkwardly land on her feet before tripping to her knees and squeaking in suprise. They quickly lifted themselves off the ground, Sakura standing on the opposite side of Naruto than Sasuke. Looking around, they noted that they had been dropped in an alleyway somewhere in Diagon Alley. Naruto was the first to speak.

"_If that wasn't weird, I don't know what is._" Sakura nodded her agreement.

"Well, 'ello!" They turned around, all three in their battle stances, to come face to face with a wall of fabric.

"_Did it just talk?"_ Naruto asked. Sakura pointed up and he realized that it wasn't in fact a wall of fabric, it was a rather tall person. He looked up at it's face and saw that he had dark brown curly hair, on his head and in his beard. His feet alone were almost as long as Naruto's shin, he noticed.

" Welcome ter Diag'n Ally!"

Naruto looked at Sakura, who shrugged. Then he looked at Sasuke, to see if he was feeling the awkwardness of this situation. A regular sized, official looking person elbowed the giant. He shifted over a little so the official could stand in front of the shinobi.

"Er, right. Yer don' understand a word am sayin', do ya?." It was more of a statement than a question, judging by the blank stares the shinobi were giving him. The official took out his wand and pointed it at Naruto, who glared and knocked it out of his hand.

"_What are you playin' at?_" He half yelled. Sakura quickly realized what was going on and, naturally, punched Naruto in the head.

"_Naruto, you idiot! That's the official who's supposed to help us!"_ She quickly ran over and picked up the officials wand, then handed it back to him. Sasuke chuckled a little.

_"Seems some things don't ever change."_ Both Naruto and Sakura glared back at him.

"_Shut up, teme!"_ Sasuke just continued on smirking. Sakura meanwhile was apologizing.

"Gomenasai, gomenasai, _for _his_ behaviour._" She bowed to the official and glared at Naruto, who gave her a sheepish smile back. This time the official pointed his wand at Sakura first, but was a little skeptical after her violent outburst. He tapped her neck three times with his wand while muttering a complicated spell under his breath. Sakura felt a strange, cool feeling spread through her throat. He then repeated this with the other two as well. She looked over at the boys to see if they had felt it too, and judging by their perplexed expressions (Naruto much more so then Sasuke's), they had.

"You can still speak your native tongue should you wish it, you must simply will yourself to speak it." They nodded, then he turned to Hagrid.

"I leave them in your care, Hagrid." Then he turned on the spot and disappeared with a POP! The shinobi stared with disbelief. 'He didn't even make a hand-sign!' Naruto thought to himself.

"I guess I bett'r introduce m'self, I'm Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of grounds and keys at Hogwarts." He said with a smile. He held out his hand to the shinobi, who just looked at it, then back up at him.

"Oh righ', Dumbledore told me you wouldn' be familiar with our formalities." He gestured toward his outstretched hand. "Ya shake it." They still didn't seem to understand. "Here, I'll show ya." He reached foreward and took Sakura's hand before shaking it lightly. She noticed that her small hand almost disappeared between Hagrid's fingers. "Oh ya, also say yer family name second." He let go, then looked expectantly looked back at the shinobi. Sakura thought for a second then started.

"I'm Akane Yamayoko." Sasuke smirked. The name fit, it meant 'brilliant red'. Sakura glared back at him with a look that said _'Oh, shut up!_' Then Naruto spoke up.

"I'm Kohaku Nomori."

"Jiro Kiroike." (A/N: Kohaku means "amber" and Jiro means "second son". I made up their last names from surname elements...)

"Well, we best be off," Hagrid said. "We got lots ter' buy. This way." The shinobi nodded and followed him out of the alley way. The warm July air was refreshing and a slight breeze kept them from getting too hot. But unfortunatly, the mood of the place didn't copy the season. Looking around, Sakura could see windows boarded up and wanted posters with pictures that moved. 'Delightful place...' She thought to herself.

"What do we need to buy, Hagrid-san?" Sakura said. The words felt odd coming out of her mouth, all chunky and awkward. She much preferred her native tongue to this.

Hagrid wasn't sure why the pink headed girl had added 'san' to the end of his name, but he figured it must have been something formal.

" Please, jus' call me Hagrid. You'll need yer schoolbooks and robes." He said smiling down at the shinobi. Then Sakura realized something.

"Wait, Hagrid, we don't have any money." She said, speaking up.

"Tha's alright. Dumbledore gave me some money so ya can buy yer things. Ah, here we are. Ya'll get yer books in there." The shinobi turned to look at the shop. It was rather small and shabby looking and had an old sign hanging outside of the door that said 'Flourish and Blotts'. They followed Hagrid through the door. Instantly they were surprised by the immense hidden size of the shop. Books were piled three meters high and shelves lined the walls, going all the way up to the ceiling. Hagrid walked up to the shop keeper and handed him the long list of books. The shop keeper gave him a curious look, but didn't ask any questions.

Sakura was still gazing at the amount books when the man returned with three bags of books. Naruto and Sasuke had gotten bored, Sasuke was throwing and catching a kunai between his hands and Naruto was hanging from the stairwell, much to the shopkeepers dismay. Sakura was about ready to yell at them both.

"Kohaku!" Naruto, realizing that he had been caught, quickly jumped down and landed gracefully on the old wooden floors. Sakura shot him a glare that said_ 'You better not blow our cover!'_ He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. Sasuke realized Sakura was glaring at him as well. Had this been a couple years ago, he wouldn't have been affected. But he was already on her bad side, and didn't want to be on the receiving end of her fist.

Hagrid paid the shopkeeper and the four made their way out of the shop.

"Finally." Sasuke muttered. Sakura rolled her eyes.

After walking for a little while longer, the shinobi and Hagrid came up to a store called 'Madam Malkins'. It appeared to be a clothing shop, judging by the window displays, but the shinobi didn't recognize any of the outfits.

"This is where ye'll get yer school robes." Hagrid said, gesturing to the shop. He looked in the window. "It migh' be a little crowded if I go in with ya, so I'll wait outside. Here's some money." He handed the shinobi a bunch of gold coins that they gave curious looks. They walked in and saw what appeared to be a stand off. On one side, two boys (a red head and a raven with glasses) and a girl with frizzy brown hair; on the other, two platinum blondes with sneers on their faces. They looked like mother and son. The boy with black hair had a stick pointed at the blond woman. The shinobi glanced at each other in confusion.

"Harry, no!" The brunette said. She tried to pull down the raven's arm back down to his side. "Think... You musn't... You'll be in so much trouble..."

In the middle of all this was a woman who didn't seem to be enjoying the situation. She bent towards the blond boy.

"Ouch!" the boy yelled. "Watch where you're putting those pins, woman! Mother, I don't want these anymore." He hastily took off the robes and threw them at the older woman's feet.

"You're right Draco." said the tall blond woman. She glanced at the brunette across from her. "Now that I know the kind of scum that shops here... We'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's."

The shinobi had moved away from the doorway, and they watched as the two blondes walked out. Naruto scowled, he didn't even know them and he hated them already. Especially because of the way the woman had regarded the brunette, that really got under his skin. Sakura didn't much like them either, neither did Sasuke. They just seemed like bad people.

They watched as the woman finished fitting the three others in the room. She seemed a little flustered and by the time she was done she seemed glad they were gone. After turning away from the door, she jumped when she finally noticed the three shinobi standing against the wall.

"Oh gracius, you scared me! I didn't see you there!" she said.

"Sorry about that." Sakura said. "We're here to get Hogwarts robes." she continued. Madam Malkin studied the three. They were certainly an odd bunch. For starters, the girl who spoke had pink hair, but it wasn't all that unusual as she could have dyed it or she could be a metamorphmagus. Then there was their clothes, the girl had on a red long sleeve shirt and black shorts with fishnets that went to her knees. The blonde boy had loose black pants and a black and orange sweatshirt with a black t-shirt underneath. Then there was the boy with black hair and dark eyes, he was a wearing a deep navy almost sleeveless shirt and black capris with a navy piece of fabric tied like a belt, and bandages around his forearms and shins. (A/N: I got inspiration for Sasuke from gabzillaz on deviantART) All three of them were wearing strange black sandals, the girl's having a slight heal. They definitely weren't first years, but she had never seen them before.

The shinobi were getting uneasy with the woman staring at them.

"Ah yes, sorry. I'm Madam Malkin." she said with a smile. "This way." She showed them the pedestals and then set to work fitting them with robes. They paid and walked back outside.

"Hagrid," Sakura asked, "do you know who those two blonds were? They were really rude." Hagrid looked back at the pinkette, and noticed that both of the boys looked rather unhappy.

"Ah,yes," he said with a frown, "they're the Malfoys."

"Why are they so rude?"

"Well, they seem to think they're bett'r than most, b'cause they're a 'pureblood' family." Sasuke spoke up for the first time.

"What's pureblood?"

"I's just a name they made for th'mselves, it means that they have full wizard blood, no muggle in them."

"What's a muggle?" Naruto asked. 'It seems these students really don't know much about the wizarding world here...' Hagrid thought to himself. (A/N: Hagrid doesn't know they're shinobi, he's been told they're japanese wizards)

"They're non-magic folk." Sakura nodded. She wanted to ask more questions, but decided against it. It would start to seem suspicious if they asked too many questions. Thankfully, the boys realized this as well.

They continued walking in silence until they came across a store called 'Olivanders'. It was the same as all the other boarded up stores.

"Hagrid?" Naruto asked. Hagrid blinked a few times then continued walking, the the shinobi right behind him.

"I'll show ya where ye'll be staying 'til school starts." Soon, the four arrived at The Leaky Cauldron. Stepping inside, the shinobi realized that it was actually a pub.

"The usual, Hagrid?" The bartender asked.

"No, thanks. I'm here on Hogwarts business." The last the bartender had heard that was six years ago, when Hagrid brought a young Harry Potter through the pub. Curious, he looked beside the large man and saw the three shinobi. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any questions. He'd seen weirder come through his pub.

"I'll need a room for these three 'til September firs'." Hagrid said and handed the man a small sac of money.

"I'll need your names." The bartender said.

"Akane Yamayoko, Kohaku Nomori and Jiro Kiroike" Sakura responded.

"Follow me, then." The four followed the man upstairs, Hagrid ducking a little as they went. He unlocked the door to one of the rooms and handed the key to Sakura.

"Here you are." It was a rather small room, with three single beds and a wardrobe. There was a door off to the side that lead to the bathroom. The man turned around and headed back downstairs.

"Remember, school stars' on September firs' and ye'll be takin' the train in Kings Cross station, which is jus' down the street from here. Here's the rest o' yer money. If ya need anything, send me an owl."

"Alright, thank you Hagrid." Sakura said. The two boys nodded their thanks before Hagrid turned and left. The three walked into the room and closed the door. While the boys decided who got which bed, Sakura walked up to the window and looked out over the street.

"_And so it begins."_

A/N; Sorry this took so long! I'm just warning you, my chapters may be far and few between as I have trouble focusing sometimes. Thanks to everyone who faved and is watching this story! It inspires me to keep writing.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 To Kings Cross

A/N: Haha, I'm not dead, see! Sorry if this chapter seems a little... mm, rickety, shall we say. I completely stopped writing for a while and then picked it up again in the middle of the night the other day (then again at least 6 months later). Thanks to the people who reviewed! I guess this'll count as a christmas present...

"_Speaking japanese"_

"Speaking english"

_Sakura heard a tap on the window and outside sat a handsome barn owl. She opened the window and let the bird in._

_"What's that?" Naruto asked, looking up from his Care of Magical creatures textbook. The owl was carrying a package accompanied by a letter. _

_"A letter," Sakura responded opening the roll of parchment, "from Professor Dumbledore."_

_Naruto jumped up from his seat, while Sasuke simply looked up from his D.A.D.A. textbook._

_"Well, read it!"_

Dear students of Tsunade,

I hope all was well and sorted out in Diagon Alley. I apologize for any trouble with the language barrier, I hope the official I sent was able to change that.

_"Well, obviously, seeing as we can read your letter." Sasuke said. Sakura glared at him before continuing._

I have spoken with your Hokage and had three wands fashioned for you, based on your personality traits and strengths. I am aware that you are going to be using false names when you are at Hogwarts, but please allow me to use your actual names in writing. I will be sending another letter in about a week or two further explaining how you will arrive at Hogwarts and what awaits you there. Back to the wands:

For Sakura Haruno, a wand of 10 1/2 inches of birch with a core of unicorn hair. Particularly good for charms.

For Naruto Uzumaki, a wand of 9 inches of oak with a phoenix feather core.

For Sasuke Uchiha, a wand of 11 1/2 inches of willow with a core of dragon heartstring.

That is all.

Albus Dumbledore

_In the package, there was three boxes, each with one of their names on them._

_"I guess we'll be using these to perform our magic then."_

Two weeks had gone by since Team 7 arrived in Diagon Alley, and they had been working hard on learning all the spells and knowledge of the world they had been thrown into. It was proving to be more difficult than they anticipated. When Naruto attempted transfiguration, he ended up with a lamp that meowed and had a tail (Sakura didn't bother asking where he got the cat). When Sasuke attempted an Accio charm, he hit Naruto upside the head with a vase. Sakura found she had a real knack for potions and had easily brewed the Draught of Death, much to Sasuke's dismay. She might have whispered something about slipping it into his drink while brewing it.

Naruto often found himself acting as a mediator between the two (though mostly towards Sakura's side). The female shinobi wanted nothing to do with the raven, and avoided conversation as much as possible. While cleaning up one day, she heard a tap on the window.

"It must be Dumbledore's letter!" She quickly let the owl in and opened the letter.

_Dear students,_

_I hope you are all getting along with your studying. Enclosed in this letter are three tickets for the Hogwarts Express, the train departs on September first at precisely 11 o'clock from Kings Cross Station. The faculty know of your attendance and will plan accordingly, but I will need the names you will be using so I can inform them (only I will know your true names, as it is a matter of your security). You can send the letter using the owl I have provided. All the best,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Naruto took the tickets to take a closer look. 'I better write our reply' Sakura thought. She quickly grabbed a quill and some parchment.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_We thank you for all you've done and we will make sure to arrive at the station on time. As for our names, they are as follows:_

_I, Sakura Haruno, go by the name of Akane Yamayoko; Naruto Uzumaki goes by the name Kohaku Nomori; and Sasuke Uchiha by Jiro Kiroike._

_-Sakura Haruno_

"There," she said, tying the roll to the owls foot, "that's finished."

"Hold on..." Naruto said. He seemed to be mulling something over in his head.

"Yes?" The pinkette asked.

"September first... That's three days from now!"

"Are you serious?! But I still have so much to learn! How did Tsunade expect us to learn all of this," she gestured to the piles of books in front of her," in two weeks?!"

There was a groan followed by the sound of a forehead hitting a table from a certain black haired shinobi. Sakura turned to glare at him before storming out of the room.

"Shut up, Uchiha!" Said Uchiha raised an eyebrow. A door slammed in the background. 'Geez, talk about mood swings. And I didn't even say anything!' Naruto seemed to be doing his best to ignore it. 'And did she just call me Uchiha?' That was a first. He walked up to the previously slammed door.

"Hey, Sakura, what's your problem?"

"Go away!" He shrugged, then did so.

"Ch, girls."

"Hey," Naruto said, looking up from his doodl- I mean work, "cut her some slack."

"What? You gonna harp on me too?"

"No, you just... Ugh, nevermind."

"Hn, whatever." Thus, the rest of the day was spent in awkward silence as the two boys continued working, with no sign of the pinkette leaving her room. In actuality, they didn't see much of her at all for the next two days, and neither wanted to bother her.

The morning of the first came fast, and at quarter to ten, Naruto knocked on Sakura's door.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, we should leave soon. I got directions from the bartender guy for how to get to Kings Cross."

"_Are you sure you'll be able to carry all your things?" The bartender asked, after giving Naruto the route to the train station._

"_Nah, we'll be fine. We're a bit stronger than most, you see." He disappeared back upstairs, leaving the bartender with a questioning look on his face. _

"Alright, thanks." There was some shuffling sounds, and two minutes later Sakura appeared with her bags packed. There was the slightest of pink around her eyes, one more observant might say she could've been crying the night before, but there was no such person in the room. The three shinobi left the room and gave their thanks to the bartender, before setting out on the road.

"How long should it take us to get there?" Sakura asked Naruto.

"Only about half an hour."

"If you don't get us lost."

"Shut up, Jiro, we'll get there just fine." Sakura snapped. 'Again, she's pissed off. What did I do this time?' Sasuke was smart enough not to ask the question aloud.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, the only conversation being when Naruto would retell the instructions to Sakura, half because she was curious and the other was to make sure he hadn't forgotten them.

They arrived only slightly later than anticipated, having followed the wrong street only once. A clock on the wall read 10:30, giving them half an hour to find their platform.

"_Platform 9 and 3/4, correct?"_ Naruto asked, just to be certain. Sakura took the tickets from her pocket to check.

"_Yeah."_ As they walked further along the platform, they soon discovered a problem. 'Wait a minute...' Sasuke thought. 'Something must be wrong... 4, 5, 6... These are all whole numbers.' The others had noticed this as well and when they reached the pillar between 9 and 10, they were unsure what to do. Sakura glanced around and walked up to a man in a business suit.

"_Excuse me?" _He didn't turn around. She cleared her throat and taped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, terribly sorry! What can I help you with?"

"Well, me and my friends," she gestured to Naruto and Sasuke, "aren't from around here and we were hoping you could show us to Platform 9 and 3/4."

"Huh?" He asked.

"Platform 9 3/4." Sakura repeated, thinking he had misheard her.

"Er, that platform doesn't exist, I'm afraid. Somebody must've giving you a false ticket, or something. Sorry."

"Oh. Thank you for your trouble." She said, giving a small bow. The man turned and walked away.

"_Well,_" Sasuke said, "_what are we supposed to do now?_"

"_I don't know, okay?" _Sakura replied. "_Maybe we should just-"_ But something caught her eye. 'Did someone just...?' She watched the pillar between 9 and 10, and sure enough, a family of three walked into the pillar. Not into, _through._ Apparently, Sasuke had seen it too.

"_Do you think we should...?"_ He gestured toward the pillar. Sure he'd seen people disappear into thin air, but not solid brick. All three turned towards the pillar.

"_It's worth a shot." _Naruto responded. Sakura nodded. "_On the count of three." _Now it was the second time they would count those dreaded three numbers before diving into the unknown.

"_One," _he started, "_two, three!" _

They nearly ran through the barrier in their haste, and were still surprised when they slipped through with ease. Sakura opened her eyes to many witches and wizards of all ages, hugging their families goodbye and loading their baggages onto the train. Said locomotive was a huge red steam engine with the words _Hogwarts Express_ in gold lettering across the front.

"_Wow." _Naruto said aloud. Whether it was because they had just run through a wall, or because of the large amount of people they weren't sure. A girl about their age bustled past them, with what looked like her younger brother in tow.

"Hurry up, Arnold," she said, " we want a good compartment." Naruto gestured to follow them and the three shinobis climbed aboard. After fifteen minutes of searching, they managed to find a free compartment and settled. While they waited, a familiar redhead stuck his head in the door. The three turned and stared at him.

"Sorry. Didn't think this one was taken." He turned and continued down the hallway. The trains whistle gave two blows before the gentle pull of the wheels sent them gliding down the tracks. Sakura stared out the window as streets and businesses gave way to grassy meadows and forests. The long journey to this strange school of magic and witchcraft was coming to close.


End file.
